Wednesday, May 1, 2019

FREEDOM UNITED. Workers like Anwar and Nabeel need you to act.

Dear David,

On International Workers' Day we are calling for radical change.
We are fighting for workers like Anwar*, Nabeel[1] and
Adelina who have been exploited, abused, even killed just
for doing what millions of us do every day – going to work. It’s
about time the world’s workforce is free, secure and protected from
exploitation. You can help make that happen.

Anwar travelled to
Malaysia from Bangladesh to find work in a factory where he is paid
barely enough to survive. The Malaysian government is proposing a 20%
deduction from migrant workers’ already low salaries. This puts
people like Anwar at serious risk. Employers can use this
power to keep workers from leaving exploitative jobs. Anwar says:

“It is good to save some money, but 20% is too
much. We need money to send to our families to live on. How
can I be sure that I will get my money when I go back home?”

Qatar has taken steps
towards ending the kafala system, which systematically disempowers
migrant workers. But workers still need their employer's
permission to change jobs. Nabeel left India for a job as a
metal worker. When he arrived in Qatar, his wages were
constantly delayed and much lower than promised.

He complained, but his boss threatened to pay him nothing and
prevent him from changing jobs, effectively forcing him to work
without pay.

Adelina was found dead outside
her employer's home in Malaysia after working for two years with
no pay.[2] She was covered in
severe burns. Her wounds showed she had endured horrific torture. Domestic
work goes on behind closed doors, leaving workers
vulnerable to abuse and conditions that amount to slavery. Adelina’s
mistreatment is a wakeup call.